fuzmeister: Sonic Dash & The New Model

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I'm willing to pay for Sega's Sonic Dash on Android. I'd be willing to pay maybe $5 for it. A lot of folks would say that's a lot for a mobile game. The problem is there is NO paid version for it. The only version available is ad-supported. It's even started giving me notifications about playing the game.

Want an easy way to ruin an otherwise great game? Throw in micro-transactions and mandatory advertising. Seriously, this is probably the most fun I've had with a Sonic game in the past 15 years and its totally botched by the fact that I'm forced to watch videos after every game. I understand this is the "new model" for video games, but if this mentality fully leeches from the casual to core market, there's going to be all kinds of abundant crumminess.

Mood: Old Geezer-ish
Music: Metallica - ...and Justice for All


Tags (beta): when i was your age, video games, android

Comments (1)

fuzmeister: Departure

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I've been a customer with a certain major wireless provider for going on ten years. I've never been upset about the coverage area or even their customer service.

However, Kate and I recently made the decision to change to Straight Talk wireless. Partially, this is due to the cost. A huge factor for us, though, is the ever-growing bloat from providers on phones. The fact that I can't uninstall the NFL Mobile app from my phone without rooting it because my carrier flagged it as a system app is just ridiculous.

I'm not an iPhone advocate, but I appreciate that iPhone users are getting a standard experience for the most part. Android is open-source (which I think is pretty great), but the fact that carriers and vendors feel like they need to constantly customize it and alter the look and feel really irritates me. It also tarnishes Android's image as an OS as I feel the general public generally can't understand what is standard and what is tacked on by the carrier or vendor.

No matter what it is, being with something for almost ten years make it hard to change. In this case, however, I am eagerly waiting for my Nexus 5 to arrive so I can finally have a "pure" Google experience and use Android the way its creators originally envisioned.

Mood: Hopeful
Music: The Airborne Toxic Event - Elizabeth


Tags (beta): phones, android

Comments (3)